Study of endothelial dysfunction in patients of psoriatic arthritis by flow mediated and nitroglycerine mediated dilatation of brachial artery

OBJECTIVE: To study endothelial dysfunction in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) without risk factors for cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Forty patients with PsA according to Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) criteria and forty age- and sex-matched controls were included. Patients with risk factors for cardiovascular disease were excluded. Endothelial function was assessed by measuring endothelial-dependent flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD%) and endothelial-independent nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation (NMD%) in the brachial artery. RESULTS: There was a significant impairment of FMD% in patients as compared to controls (mean 8.3% vs. 10.8%, P = 0.007), but there was no significant difference in NMD%. CONCLUSIONS: There is presence of endothelial dysfunction in patients with PsA independent of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.